


Not All Heroes Have Wings

by aaliona



Category: Charlie's Angels (2019), Charlie's Angels (Movies)
Genre: Brotp, Canon twisted but kind of there, F/F, F/M, Gen, Multi, Multiple Pov, Potential Relationships, Tumblr Prompt, all relationships just hinted not explicit, can be read completely gen, polyship, roommates au, shifting pov, superhero au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21548848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aaliona/pseuds/aaliona
Summary: Langston and Elena have been living together for years, and Langston doesn't mind helping out with her laundry since she's so good about other parts of living together. He never expected to be sorting a load and pull out the costume of the city's newest member of the League of Angels.Or, Elena and the Angels are superheroes, and she's got a lot of explaining to do.
Relationships: Elena Houghlin/Jane Kano, Jane Kano/Langston (Charlie's Angels), Jane Kano/Sabina Wilson/Elena Houghlin, Sabina Wilson/Jane Kano
Comments: 6
Kudos: 71





	Not All Heroes Have Wings

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by the prompt “We’ve been best friends for years and—Wait, is that a superhero costume in your laundry?” Mostly I wanted a superhero fic, and this prompt gave me the opportunity to let Langston be our slightly humorous frame like he occasionally is in the movie. I don’t want to explain too much now because information unrolls throughout the story, but I’ll include a little more detail about the organization in the endnote. 
> 
> All the relationships listed here are simply nods or inferences you can make. Nothing is explicitly stated, so you can read it with or without those in mind.
> 
> Shout out to the lovely individuals in the Good Morning Angels discord for helping me coming up with codenames and powers for this.

All in all, Langston firmly believed in the benefits of living with Elena. They’d met in a chem class their freshman year of undergrad and been living together since their sophomore year. Since they’d both officially started grad school, he considered that timeline a proof of success. He wasn’t quite sure what he added for Elena, but she definitely helped him. Having her around made him conscientious of cleaning up after himself. Elena was better at remembering when rent was due. She helped him study for tricky exams. They’d gotten an internship at Brock Industries together. She even did the dishes, including a few of Langston’s if he left some out. 

The only downside was her laundry.

Elena was brilliant, and sometimes brilliance meant forgetting simple tasks. Often that meant that Langston would open the in-unit washer—something they’d been very pleased to find a place with—and find a load sopping wet.

Such was the case today, and he sighed as he fetched the drying rack from its storage space in the next closet. At first he’d been squeamish of touching Elena’s laundry, but they’d lived together long enough that it had become habit to sort for her. Not everything could go in the dryer, he’s quickly learned after shrinking one of her favorite sweaters. 

The first couple things he pulled out were pairs of pants that went straight in the dryer. Next was a bra that she’d forgotten to put in the mesh bag her mom had bought her, and Langston hooked it on the edge of the drying rack without any particular care. He’d seen her bras a time or two, occasionally on. It was just a hazard of living together and not one either of them were weird about.

As he reached back into the washer, Langston felt an odd fabric and paused. He couldn’t remember ever touching anything like it before or seeing Elena in anything new lately. Without waiting any longer, Langston pulled it from the washer and felt his breath catch in his throat.

He was holding what was unmistakably a superhero costume. It wasn’t just any costume either. It was the deep red of the city’s newest superhero, the arms and legs covered with a DNA-like sequence of numbers. It had to be the real deal.

Like every kid, Langston had learned about the rise of superheroes in his history classes growing up. Although a few teams and individuals had stood out over time, it was The League of Angels that had captured California’s heart, followed quickly by the US and then the world as a whole. The League had been started by cyborg who called himself Charlie over fifty years ago with his three winged Angels by his side. They did more good than anyone before them and eventually expanded. Every year, a new hero or two stepped forward in the team’s ranks. 

Langston had only met an Angel in person once, and while The Amazonian wasn’t most people’s first choice for a hero meet and greet, but he’d always marveled at the way she so easily handled every threat with a level head. He knew her powers had to do with her dexterity and strength, but Langston had to admire her quick mind as well.

He’d met her while at work one day, alone in the Brock Industries lab in a way he normally wasn’t. Technically his first supervisor was Elena, even know she was also an intern, but she’d disappeared a little earlier. When The Amazonian had stormed into his lab, Langston might have fallen just a little bit in love, but he’d like to think he kept his cool. He even helped her find the right compound for a minor explosion, although she’d ditched him shortly after to return to her team. That had also been the first mission for the city’s newest Angel, who was publicly introduced after the mission had ended with the apprehension of a rogue employee within Brock Industries.

Langston had looked on in awe as the angels flew away, seeing them take off up close for the first time in his life. Despite the original theming, very few Angels could actually fly by their own enhancements, and now it was common to see the Angels flying around on robotic wings.

Holy shit. If the costume was here, were the wings too?

As Langston puzzled over the idea, he heard keys jingling in the lock as Elena returned from class. He was still holding the costume out in front of him, and as the door opened, he slowly turned toward it. Based on the shocked panic on Elena’s face, Langston felt safe to assume she knew exactly what he was holding.

“I think you have a little explaining to do.”

…

Elena couldn’t believe this was happening. Her life had changed so quickly in such a short period of time, and she hadn’t quite made sense of it all yet.

She’d always been good with computers, but Elena hadn’t realized there was anything more than that at first. People had praised her for her ability to always find exactly what she wanted while researching or her special touch with finicky machines at work. That had been the extent of it until one day when she was super stressed at work and yelled at Langston to leave her alone because she was trying to think.

She never had outbursts like this, and he’d immediately backed away. That was probably good before the printer next to her suddenly exploded. 

Elena had screamed, and Langston had scrambled forward to make sure she was okay, but nothing had touched her. It was odd, but apparently she’d gotten lucky. 

Perhaps unlucky was better term. Wherever she went for the next few days, technology was acting weird, and as Elena became more stressed, the tech got weirder. People were dropping phone calls when she walked by, the machines at work wouldn’t print anything right, and she managed to supercharge their clean energy experiment in such a way that it hurt one of the other lab techs. 

Worst still, when she tried to report what had happened, her superior told her she was paranoid and over-concerned and buried her report.

Elena was beside herself as she stumbled down the street, but she hadn’t expected her name called softly from the ally behind her favorite café. She bit her lip and debated her options. This was a terrible idea. She went anyway.

As she walked cautiously down the ally, Elena called back, “Hello?”

“Hello Elena.”

Elena whirled around to find a beautiful woman literally melting from the shadows. “Who- Who are you?” she asked, trying to sound brave and not terrified. She wasn’t sure she succeeded.

The woman chuckled. “You can call me Bosley, though perhaps you remember me better as Mirage.”

Her breath caught as Elena recalled the superhero she’d watched on TV as a child. The long golden hair was the same, and while Mirage had obviously never been seen without her trademark Angel Wing mask, Elena could picture that mask over this face. It fit.

“Why are you here?” she asked. Elena tried not to fidget in the presence of one of her childhood idols. When times had gotten hard as a kid, Elena had secretly wished she could do the same—turn invisible at a single whim and stay that way until her bullies left or her parents stopped fighting. It had been a potent desire.

“I’m here because you’re special, Elena.” Mirage—No, Bosley too a step forward, and the proximity enveloped Elena in her tantalizing perfume. Everything about this woman exuded an air of innocence and desirability, but Elena could just barely see that hint of danger around her edges. This was not someone to underestimate.

“What do you mean?”

Bosley laughed. “Oh, my dear, surely you’ve noticed everything happening around you lately?”

Elena hesitated, thinking back on her last few days. “You mean the crazy tech stuff?”

Bosley nodded. “Exactly that. You have a gift, my dear, a gift that makes you perfectly suited to our cause, should you be interested in the idea of hero work.”

Elena gasped and took a step back, undermining her own moment as she tripped over a pop can someone had left on the ground. “Do you really mean that? I mean I get that there’s been weird stuff, but I’m not doing it. At least, I’m not controlling it. I have no idea why it’s happening or how it’s happening or anything like that. And I’m not, like, any kind of tactile expert. I can barely use the one defense class I took. I just don’t know if I’m really the right person for any kind of hero business.”

Bosley didn’t look deterred. “Elena, everyone comes to the Angels—” She chuckled as Elena made a small noise at them finally being references. “Everyone comes to us in a different place. Some people fully understand their powers and have been using them knowingly for years. Take Persona, for example.”

Elena pictured the local hero, her full length basic white unitard and constantly changing appearance. 

“Persona was using her powers for some semi-destructive methods when we found her, usually destructive to herself.” Bosley sighed, as though remembering the time. “But she had the skills. She just needed to apply them. The Amazonian too had great skills, but she hadn’t yet recognized them as advanced abilities. You see, Elena, we meet you where you are right now and train you to enhance what you already have. And your gifts are incredibly. If you can do all that without any control, I pity to picture the villain who sides against you fully trained.”

Elena realized she’d stopped breathing and hurried to get a few gulps of air.

Sensing her panic, Bosley stepped back. “You can think about it,” she said, already starting to fade back into the shadows. “We’ll be in touch.”

Elena had thought about it. She could think of little else. She still wasn’t entirely sure she’d decided when all hell broke loose at work with her supervisor trying to steal to her current experiment with intentions to sell it to The Mastermind, a shadowy figure no one ever saw in person but everyone feared.

She’d been in the bathroom panicking because she didn’t know how to contact Bosley when a beautiful woman in a white leggings and a lab coat had slipped from one of the stalls.

“Well hello there,” she said with a wink that made Elena stomach drop. Oh God, she didn’t have time for this too today. 

Suddenly another stall door opened, and a crisp no-nonsense British accent said, “Persona, stop playing with your food.”

Elena drew in a quick breath as she watched The Amazonian march forward in the mirror. Taking in her words, she looked back at the woman next to her to find that she now had an angel wings mask on and was slipping off the lab coat to reveal her simple costume underneath. Her dark hair was lightening and seemed to shrink on her head as it returned to a short blonde style. When she realized Elena was looking, Persona winked, causing Elena to flush again.

“We’ve got one of these for you too,” Persona said and tapped her mask.

“What?”

Elena stared as The Amazonian stepped forward. “That’s right. Boz wasn’t sure if you were in, but she wanted to give you an option. Normally costumes are a personal decision, but she had something whipped up just in case.”

“In case what?” Elena asked, her brain moving much slower than normally.

The Amazonian chuckled and slipped a pile of red clothing complete with a sash and angel mask from somewhere in her own costume. “In case you planned to join us.”

The next few hours passed by in a blur, but soon Elena found herself standing behind The Amazonian and Persona as they spoke to the press.

“And who is the new hero with you today?” a reporter asked, zeroing his gaze in on Elena. “Is she a new Angel?”

Persona and The Amazonian both turned to Elena with matching smiles and expressions that seemed to say it was all up to her. Cautiously Elena stepped forward. “I am,” she said, hoping she sounded confident. The mask helped with that. It really did. 

“What should we call you?” Another reporter quickly nosed in with her mic. 

Elena hesitated for a just a moment before saying the first thing that came to her mind. In the weeks after, she’d continue to think about it, and despite the rash decision, it fit. “My name is Codex.”

All of that had seemed to happen in a happy blur, a blur that seemed to be slowing to a halt here and now as Elena stared at Langston, stared at the beautiful red costume Boz had created for her in his hands. 

“I… Um…” Elena had nothing. Without meaning to, she ran forward and snatched the costume from his hand before fleeing back out the door, leaving Langston behind with empty hands and a million questions.

…

Jane hummed as she stroked Elena’s hair. Technically they were supposed to stay masked and code names only, even back at headquarters, but Boz was more laid back than most Bosley handlers. Jane suspected it was because she remembered the stress of trying to keep everything from everyone, even the people who could be trusted most.

Elena groaned and leaned in, burying her head against Jane’s shoulder and neck. It was nice. Jane loved this kind of proximity. Plus, Elena was more cuddly and less aggressive than Sabina could be.

From her place flopped against the other couch, Sabina said, “I don’t get what the big deal is.”

“Don’t get?” Elena snapped, minorly hysterical even with Jane’s petting. “I just revealed my secret identity! I put myself and the agency at risk because I was too forgetful to remember to rotate the laundry!”

“About that,” Sabina said. “Maybe don’t wash your costume with other clothes. It’s strong, and the fibers are really great. But you’ll start to notice everything else wearing out faster.”

“Spoken from experience,” Jane observed, still running her hand through Elena’s hair.

Elena made a noise of disapproval, her face still buried against Jane’s neck. “I don’t think you guys are understanding the important thing here. I gave away my identity.”

Sabina snorted. “Oh please. He lives with you. That’s totally a justification for him knowing. Hell, my ex-fiancée and I would totally use my powers to roleplay and—” 

“Okay, Persona,” Jane cut in, “that’s enough information. Quit before you overshare.”

Sabina winked at her. “That’s my specialty.”

Normally Jane would have had a good retort for her, but she focused her attention on Elena as the girl stirred and finally revealed her face again. She looked up at Jane, which made The Amazonian pleased. It was nice to be trusted.

“It really won’t matter?” she asked, her voice small as a mouse.

Jane smiled and leaned down to kiss her nose, an impulse that startled Elena, but her new teammate didn’t move. “As long as you trust him, we trust him, right Persona?”

“Exactly.” 

She also chose that opportunity to ruin their moment by collapsing on top of them. Jane couldn’t blame Sabina for it, though. Not with the way it sent Elena laughing.

…

Langston had pretty much put the pieces together, but he vowed not to say anything about it to Elena unless she mentioned it first. He could just pretend he never knew. So, he went about his business. He continued emptying the washer to put in a load of his own, and when Elena wasn’t back by the time her load in the dryer was done, he folded it too. Langston drew the line at putting them away, so he left the sorted piles sitting on Elena’s bed before returning to her own. 

While he waited, he fixed himself dinner, making extra because when Elena was stressed, she tended to like to eat, and nothing seemed to cure her anxious moments quite like his homemade mac and cheese. It was a long shot as to whether she’d be home in time to eat, but even when it was cold or leftovers, she liked his pasta.

At the jingly of keys in the lock, Langston looked up, the tray in his mitted hands. Quickly the heat became too much, and he set it on the stove as Elena walked in, flanked by two women. One of them was the most gorgeous person Langston had ever seen.

“Um, hi,” he said, straightening up. He realized he still had the oven mitts on and hastily tossed them on the counter. “I made food. I didn’t realize you were bringing friends, but there should be enough for all of us if we keep our portions reasonable.” AKA, if Elena didn’t eat half the pan in one good.

She looked both nervous and relieved. “Perfect. Um, Langston, this is Sabina.” The shorter haired woman gave him a two finger salute in greeting. “And this is Jane.”

He looked back at the beautiful woman, only to realize she was staring at him with her mouth slightly open. 

“Pleasure,” she said faintly. “Elena, you didn’t mention that your roommate worked at the lab with you.”

Langston’s eyes grew wide as he recognized her voice. No way. No fucking way. It couldn’t be.

“How did you…” Elena trailed off as she must have put pieces together.

“This is the guy you were flirting with on mission?” Sabina asked, unable to keep herself from laughing.

Langston looked back at her for a moment, and in her stance, he pictured a hero in white. He maybe needed to sit down, but he leaned against the counter to balance himself instead.

“What?” Jane laughed, a nervous sound that felt out of place with the easy confidence he’d always seen from her. “No, it wasn’t… We just…”

Between the two of them, they managed to stammer out an excuse of an explanation that he was pretty sure meant nothing to Elena and Sabina. Something about his sandwich and her favorite compound. Langston wasn’t even thinking clearly enough to remember.

Elena nodded, and Langston spotted twin mischief in Sabina’s and her faces as they glanced at each other. “You know,” Elena said, voice suddenly all business. “There’s actually only room for two people to eat in the kitchen. Sabina, why don’t we eat in the living room? We’ll be right there for conversation.”

“Great idea,” Sabina said quickly and sidled into the kitchen to make herself a plate of food. 

Elena followed and did the same. As she was about to step around the island, she looked back at Langston cautiously. “We’ll talk later, yeah?” she said softly.

Langston nodded with a smile. His whole world might have just shifted, but Elena was still Elena. A pair of wings didn’t change that.

**Author's Note:**

> And there you have it! My original plan for this was to have a scene of Langston geeking out over The Amazonian and trying to get Elena to formally introduce him, but I liked the accidental re-meeting of the movie. It seemed cleaner here.
> 
> I really like this verse and might continue it. I’m also not opposed to other people using it, as long as you credit me and let me know you made it! If you’re interested, you can find me on Tumblr at bifuriouswaterbender.
> 
> General hero information:  
> League of Angels—An international superhero organization made up of smaller teams acting as individual pieces of a larger network. Our ladies are the team based in California, the original League of Angels territory.  
> Sabina—Persona (Power: shapeshifting human appearance)  
> Jane—The Amazonian (Power: enhanced dexterity)  
> Elena—Codex (Power: tech manipulation)  
> Boz—Bosley/Mirage (Power: invisibility)—The Bosleys are handlers for the individual teams, waiting in the shadows and arranging things without the public knowing of them. Boz is the only Bosley to ever move from hero to Bosley and is perhaps a little more active than most Bosleys, but her powers were perfectly suited for the transition.  
> Charlie—Originally started as a cyborg who led the original League of Angels team. Eventually he disappeared from the public eye, supposedly because his tech had become too outdated to remain mobile. The popular public theory is that Charlie’s voice heard sometimes on missions is because his consciousness has been uploaded into some kind of server linked to all the Angels.  
> The Mastermind—John Bosley’s character from the movie. Obviously I played with the timeline a bit, and not even the Angels know for sure that it’s him, although some like Boz heavily suspect it.


End file.
